Colac

Located on the banks of Lake Colac, Colac is a bustling hub, servicing towns and villages across the region. The area is rich in natural wonders, including one of the largest volcanic plains in the world.

Colac is in the Colac Otway Shire area.

Location information

Climate

In summer (January), Colac's average minimum temperature is 10.7 degrees, and the average maximum is 25.7. In winter (July) average temperatures range from a minimum of 3.9 to a maximum of 12.5. The town's average annual rainfall is 731.5mm.

Population

10,857 (Source: ABS Census 2006).

Cultural diversity

Around 11 percent of people living in Colac were born outside Australia.

Migrants have settled in Colac from:

  • England (1.6%)
  • Netherlands (0.4%)
  • New Zealand (0.8%)
  • Scotland (0.3%)
  • Italy (0.4%)

Around six percent of people living in Colac speak a language other than English at home.

Languages spoken in Colac include:

  • Italian (0.7%)
  • Mandarin (0.2%)
  • Vietnamese (0.3%)
  • Arabic (0.2%)
  • Nuer (0.2%)

Finding a job

Key industries and employers

The top five industries by employment in Colac are:

Industry School education Hospitals Dairy product manufacturing Cafes, restaurants & takeaway food services Log sawmilling & timber dressing
% 4.9 4.7 4.2 4.0 3.6

Local skill shortages

There is no specific information available on skills shortages in Colac. Information on skills shortages in the Barwon South West region is available on the South West Victoria map page.

Job search links

To see jobs currently available in Colac, visit:

Lifestyle information

Housing and accommodation

In the year to April 2008, the median price of houses sold in Colac was $205,000.

In December 2007, the median rent for a two-bedroom flat in Colac-Otway Shire was $170 per week, and the median rent for a three-bedroom house was $200 per week.

For information about local hotels, motels and caravan parks, visit the Great Ocean Road accommodation directory.

To find a local real estate agent, visit the REIV agent directory, type ‘Colac’ into the search box, select 'suburb' and then press 'search'.

Healthcare

Colac Area Health is the main health service located at Colac. For information about healthcare providers in the Colac area, please visit the Victorian Better Health Channel's health services directory.

More information on Victoria's healthcare system can be found in the Health & Medical section.

Schools

For information on schools in Colac, visit the Schools Online website and search for ‘Colac’. More information on Victoria's education system can be found in the Education & Childcare section.

Travel

Distance and travel time

Colac is 150km west of Melbourne. You can travel from Colac to Melbourne by:

  • car (1 hour 45 minutes)
  • coach (2 hours 30 minutes)
  • train (2 hours)

Nearby towns are:

Public transport

Buses operate around Colac, and between the town and surrounding areas. For specific routes and timetables, please visit the regional bus information on VicLink and select from the drop down list.

Places of worship

For information about where you can practice your faith, please visit your religion's Australian website. To find it, visit Google, type in the name of your religion, and select 'pages from Australia'.

Sport and recreation

For more information about sport and recreation in Colac, please visit the Colac Otway Shire website.

Colac attractions

  • Join a dusk or dawn canoe tour to see platypus in Lake Elizabeth
  • Discover great local food and wine on the Otway Gourmet Food trail
  • Sail, row, water-ski or fish on Lake Colac
  • Colac Country Music Festival (February)
  • Kana Festival (March)

Also See

Last updated: 22 January 2009

Back to Top

State Government of Victoria